Oh, my, my, the trouble with unintended consequences taking a toll on those who must be obeyed. John Lennon’s words – “Instant karma’s gonna get you” – must surely be on the tips of wagging tongues from both sides of the great American divide. Whether justice is being served or the special du jour is a cold plate of revenge, the Republican National Committee (RNC) is in a full-blown panic. Pomposity aside, futile acts of groveling are being met with an apathetic electorate.
The Trump team sent out cease-and-desist letters last week to the fundraising arm of the Republican Party: the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The letter demanded these organizations stop using his name and likeness on fundraising emails, texts, and merchandise. Donald Trump doubled down in a statement:
“No more money for RINOS. They do nothing but hurt the Republican Party and our great voting base — they will never lead us to Greatness.”
After a weekend of pearl-clutching, handwringing, and teeth-gnashing, the RNC bit back, trotting out their chief counsel to publicly declare it could “Trump” any way it wanted. Quick-draw Trump then urged his massive base to donate directly to Save America, his own Political Action Committee. According to Federal Election Commission documents, Trump also has cash on hand in four committees, totaling $62 million, from individual contributions made between Nov. 24 and Dec. 31. Trump is a fundraising machine. But he has declared war on several Republican candidates – for a host of disloyal malfeasances.
Trump can contribute up to $5,000 from the Save America PAC to any candidate he chooses to support – which most likely won’t be Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), or Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE). The Save America MAGA depository will likely fund rallies, travel, political ads, and other random political battle expenses. And we all can guess who will have to fly commercial.
‘Gonna Knock You Right in the Head’
Desperate for cash infusions enjoyed during Trump’s reign, the RNC has been busy sending out seemingly disingenuous, sneaky emails and texts designed to tug at the nostalgia of the beleaguered Trump. That’s what they want Trump people to believe, and it is failing on an epic level.
Examples include:
“CONGRATULATIONS! You have been selected as one of the FIRST to be invited to claim your Trump Legacy Membership.”
“We NEED 10,000 patriots who still stand with President Trump before midnight tonight.”
“URGENT: TRUMP SUPPORTERS NEEDED!”
And a favorite: “President Trump wants to know if you still support him. 5 HOURS to sign his Thank You card,” with a follow-up text an hour later: “Only a few spots left on Trump’s Thank You card.”
Better Get Yourself Together
Tim Donner, Liberty Nation’s senior political analyst, has been ringing this alarm bell for quite some time. In a recent analysis following Trump’s triumphant return to the bully pulpit at CPAC, Donner noted:
“Indeed, based on his coming-out at CPAC and the lingering questions it answered, and no matter how the former president decides to invest his future, the conclusion is unavoidable: The Republican Party needs Donald Trump a whole lot more than he needs the GOP.”
It’s a glaringly obvious obstacle that Trump and his loyal base have long memories and may not play nice. Republican leadership appeared to lack the cojones one too many times, losing control of embittered sore losers bent on derailing the president’s initiatives and legislation out of spite. Oops. Can we get a do-over?
The Silent Majority earned the moniker for a good reason. And no candidate could tap into that power: When Trump came down the golden escalator, the majority had a reason to roar. And now, after four years of watching the elitist-right look down their pedigreed political noses at Donald Trump, millions of re-registered Republicans are receding into the shadows. The same voters who sat out the 2008 and 2012 presidential election in protest or exhaustion – having RINOs thrust into their faces when it was deemed “their turn” by the party – once again are eerily silent.
For the RNC, the silence is deafening.
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Read more from Sarah Cowgill.
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